The truth about TAFE: the system needs a dose of reform

Claire Field

As we approach a federal election, debate about the future of TAFE is going to intensify. Already we're hearing a range of commentators predicting the imminent demise of this important education sector.

As chief executive of the peak industry association for private education and training providers - that is, the independent and non-profit providers who operate alongside TAFE - my confidence in the future of TAFE may take some by surprise.

But having worked in the TAFE system I know the important role it plays in communities both large and small.

What I also know about is the equally important role played by independent training providers, and this role is not as well understood. Yet any debate about the future of TAFE cannot ignore the amount and quality of training delivered by independent providers.

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In April last year, the Prime Minister and the state and territory leaders (through the Council of Australian Governments) agreed to an ambitious set of reforms designed to reshape skills training in Australia. It's no secret the implementation of these reforms in Victoria has not run as smoothly as TAFE or independent training providers, their students or communities needed.

However, the evidence is that when government offers people a choice of provider, more people take up the opportunity to train. TAFE is a good choice, but it is not the only one. Nor is it the best one for all learners.

Among independent training providers there is an enormous range of providers offering what I call wrap-around training and employment support, and offering specially designed courses for particular groups of students (including migrants and refugees), in partnership with industry, that meet the unique needs of students in ways large government organisations find more difficult.

Beyond Victoria, other state governments are taking their own approach to reform of their training systems. With 12 months of design and planning still to go on the New South Wales reforms, some public figures are already claiming any change will see the end of TAFE as we know it, leaving students with no other options. This is not only untrue but absurd.

In thinking about reform of skills training and the role of TAFE, we need a debate about why governments need to own and operate a ''training arm''.

For many years Australians believed our government needed to own and operate an airline, the telephone service and a bank.

Many of us are now customers of, or indeed shareholders in, iconic companies such as Qantas, Telstra and Commonwealth Bank, but we no longer feel a need for the government to own them.

While a case can be made for state governments to have a training capacity - including the ability to offer training opportunities in remote locations or specialist industries where it is uneconomic for independent providers to operate - what is it that we need TAFE to do that independent providers can't?

We also need honest discussions about the closure of out-dated TAFE facilities. When governments close TAFE facilities it is usually because they are no longer being used. That is, learners do not want to train there because they are not up to date or, as a result of population shifts, they are no longer in a convenient location.

As Australia's economy continues to modernise we need a training sector that can meet the changing needs of employers and individuals. A role exists for TAFE, but the economy will benefit from an open training system that fosters best practice. We need a diverse system, with public and private providers of high-quality training.

In the wake of the global financial crisis we have lauded the reforms of previous governments that ensured Australia's economy was able to sail through the global headwinds and emerge resilient and strong.

The reforms now being introduced to the training sector will provide the platform to meet future global challenges. Reform is never easy, but for our training system it is necessary.

We can't let politics get in the way of an efficient and effective training system.

Claire Field is chief executive of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training.